Online schools that accept the FAFSA (and how to fill it out)

Online colleges offer a flexible way to further your education and earn your degree remotely. However, while some online schools are less expensive than their in-person counterparts, the tuition and fees can still be a major expense that you might not be able to cover out of pocket. 

Fortunately, many online schools participate in federal financial aid programs, which provide aid based on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Here’s what to know about online schools that accept the FAFSA.

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Does financial aid cover online schools?

You can use financial aid to cover costs at some, but not all, online schools. Specifically, your online school must participate in the Department of Education’s Title IV program, which has various requirements. For one, your school must be accredited by a primary accrediting agency. 

Title IV schools must also undergo regular audits and program reviews from Federal Student Aid (FSA), the agency within the federal Department of Education that distributes financial aid. 

If your online school is a Title IV school, that means it accepts the FAFSA and can both accept and administer financial aid. 

Major impact on borrowing costs: See current student loan interest rates

How to check if an online school accepts financial aid 

To check if your online school accepts financial aid, look to see if it’s a Title IV school. There are three ways to do this:

• Department of Education: You can check the Department of Education’s list of Title IV participating schools and verify that your school’s name or Federal School Code is included. Colleges are required to include their Federal School Code on their website if they have one. 
• DAPIP database: You can also check to see if your school is actively accredited by searching the Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP). Enter your school’s name in the search field, and review both its accreditation status and which agency accredited the school. 
• Financial aid office: Finally, you can reach out to the online school’s financial aid office directly to confirm whether it participates in the federal financial aid program. 

Tip: If you contact your prospective online school about financial aid, also make sure to ask about other opportunities for aid, such as grants and scholarships. 

Online schools that accept financial aid

There are several online schools that accept financial aid. Here are some popular ones that participate in the federal aid program along with their average tuition costs as of 2024:

American Public University 

American Public University has more than 200 online offerings at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, with courses that start monthly and last eight to 16 weeks. This accredited online university enrolls more than 48,000 students, who pay an average tuition of around $6,800. 

University of Florida

The University of Florida’s main campus is in Gainesville, Florida. However, it also has a well-rated online division that offers bachelor’s degrees in 24 fields as well as online master’s, doctorate and certificate programs. The average tuition is $4,477 for in-state students and $25,694 for out-of-state students. 

University of Phoenix 

With an average tuition cost of $9,552, the University of Phoenix enrolls more than 94,000 students in its online bachelor’s and master’s programs. The school connects its online students with academic advisers, career services, virtual job fairs and internship opportunities. 

Purdue University Global 

Purdue University has nearly 38,000 online students who are enrolled across 32 online bachelor’s programs and 29 online master’s programs. As a public university, Purdue offers lower tuition rates to Indiana residents, with an average tuition of $7,920 for in-state students and $13,356 for out-of-state students. 

Southern New Hampshire University 

Along with its in-person courses, Southern New Hampshire University also offers more than 200 online programs in fields like art, education, engineering, healthcare and business. More than 134,000 students are enrolled at this university, where they pay an average tuition rate of $9,600.

Walden University 

Walden University offers both remote undergraduate and graduate programs. It supports online students with academic and career services, as well as virtual job fairs and internship programs. The average tuition is $10,428.

Western Governors University

Western Governors University offers 30 online bachelor’s programs and 29 online master’s programs. Along with online programs, this university also connects students with career services professionals, academic advisors and virtual job fairs. It has over 136,000 students and an average tuition cost of $6,380.

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How to fill out the FAFSA for online schools

To get federal financial aid for online college, you’ll need to fill out the FAFSA. Here are the steps you’ll need to take: 

1. Create your FSA ID. Your FSA ID is your unique username and password that you’ll use to access your account and sign your FAFSA. Note that if you’re a dependent student, your parent will also be required to provide their information on the FAFSA, and they’ll need their own FSA ID. You can register for an FSA ID at StudentAid.gov.
2. Gather the required documents. The FAFSA will ask for your personal and financial details — such as your Social Security or alien registration number, driver’s license, tax returns and other financial documents. In some cases, you might be able to transfer some of this data automatically using the IRS data retrieval tool accessible when filling out the FAFSA. 
3. Fill out the FAFSA. Your next step is completing and filling out the FAFSA at StudentAid.gov. The FAFSA typically opens Oct. 1 every year for the following academic year. Note that you must complete the FAFSA by the deadline — generally June 30 of the academic year. For example, you have until June 30, 2025, to submit the FAFSA for the 2024-2025 academic year. Note that you can include up to 10 schools on the FAFSA that will receive your information for financial aid.
4. Review your SAR. After submitting the FAFSA, you’ll get a Student Aid Report (SAR), which will summarize the information you provided. Review your SAR to make sure there aren’t any errors or typos that could delay your financial aid award. 
5. Choose the financial aid that you want to accept. After you’ve been accepted by the college and completed the FAFSA, your school will send you a financial aid award letter detailing the aid you qualify for, such as Pell Grants or federal student loans. You can then choose which aid you want to accept. Note that you don’t have to accept the full amount of aid that’s offered to you. 

Tip: It’s a good idea to submit the FAFSA as soon as possible before the deadline since some financial aid is doled out on a first-come, first-served basis. Schools also sometimes set their own financial aid deadlines — you can ask the financial aid office if there are any other deadlines you’ll need to meet.

Other ways to pay for online school

While federal financial aid can offer significant assistance toward paying for school, it only goes so far. If you’ve maxed out your eligibility for aid (or your school doesn’t participate in the federal aid program), here are some other options that could help you cover your expenses: 

Scholarships and grants

Scholarships and grants are probably the best type of student aid because they don’t have to be repaid — unlike student loans. They’re also awarded for almost any reason you can think of — for example, you could be eligible for an award based on financial need, academic merit, athletic achievement, LGBTQ+ status and more. 

These awards are often provided by nonprofit organizations, professional associations and both local and national businesses. Your school and state might also offer scholarships based on your FAFSA information.

Tip: Use scholarship search engines like Fastweb and Scholarships.com to easily look for awards that you might qualify for. You can also ask your school’s financial aid administrator about opportunities. 

Savings 

If you or your family have savings set aside for college, you could put it toward your educational costs. Saving in a 529 plan, for instance, offers tax benefits if you use the funds on qualified educational expenses at both in-person and online schools. 

Tip: While using your savings to avoid education debt might be appealing, you likely don’t want to completely drain your savings while paying for college. It’s important to maintain an emergency fund to help you cover surprise expenses without going into debt. Ideally, it’s best to have enough set aside to cover three to six months’ worth of your expenses.

Income from a part-time job 

Whether you opt for a job on- or off-campus or an online job for college students, you could earn some money to cover college costs. 

Note that undergraduate and graduate students with financial aid might qualify for the federal work-study program based on their FAFSA. This program provides qualifying students with part-time jobs to help with expenses.

Private student loans

If scholarships, grants, federal student loans and other savings don’t cover your full cost of attendance, you could consider taking out a private student loan. This type of loan can come with a fixed or variable interest rate and will usually have a repayment term of five to 20 years, depending on the lender. 

Keep in mind that unlike most federal loans, private student loans typically have credit and income requirements. If you have bad or no credit, you might need to apply with a creditworthy co-signer to qualify. 

Private student loans also don’t provide the federal benefits and protections that federal student loans do. For example, you won’t be eligible for income-driven repayment (IDR) plans or forgiveness programs. Because of this, it’s usually best to rely on federal student loans first if you need to borrow for school. If you do take out a private student loan, make sure to borrow only what you need and can afford to pay back in the future.

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